Tape applier



Nov. 26, 1940.

E. H. GROH ETAL TAPE APPLIER Filed Oct. 9, 1.939

.1. ...1 lill INVENTORS Edward Gro/'z BY Char/es Swef/er if ATTO Patented Nov. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES TAPE APPLIER Edward H. Groh, Cincinnati, and Charles Sweyer, Columbus, Ohio, assignors to The ODonnell Rubber Products Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application October 9,

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a tape applier, which in the form disclosed herein, is particularly suited for applying an adhesive tape to the seams or joints of shoe uppers and the like. The use mentioned is but one of many possible uses, wherefore the invention is not limited thereto, as adhesive tape may be applied to other articles using substantiallyy the same means and method.

An object of the invention is to provide a tape applying machine of improved construction, having an automatic tape feed and cut-olii` facilitating operation of the machine and increasing the rate of production of articles subjected thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character stated, wherein the tape cut-01T is constructed so as to be self-sharpening and positive in its action.

A further object is to provide a combination of working parts in a machine of the character stated, such that the parts may be replaced easily and within a minimum period of time so that the machine need not be taken out of service by returning it to the manufacturer or to the repair 25 shop for service and adjustment.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and. disclosed in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a general view, in perspective, showing a tape applier embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through 'the work support, and showing the presser foot and its associated feeder in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a tape advance elementv which forms a detail of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a combined tape guide and shear element embodying the invenion.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a knife or cutoii element of the invention.

In the manufacture of shoes and various other articles, it is often desirable to apply an adhesive tape over the seams or elsewhere on the article in process of manufacture, so as to en- 5 hance the appearance or the strength, or the comfort of the article when worn by the user or purchaser. In some instances the tape requires moistening or heating to render it adhesive, while in other instances the product 50 known as cold adhesive tape was used. The tape applier of the present invention is adapted-.for applying adhesive tapes of all kinds, including those mentioned. As will be understood, machines of the character under consideration will generally require that the work be fed thereto 1939, serial No. 298,718

manually by a worker who is more or less skilled, or at least acquainted with the operation of such machines.

With reference to the accompanying drawing,

6 indicates the casing of a power operated :'.ia- 6 chine which includes a head 1 that houses suitable mechanism not necessarily of concern herein, adapted to rapidly reciprocate a presser foot 8 and a combined hammer and feeder 9 that presses the adhesive tape upon the work and 10 advances the work and the tape beneath the presser foot. For this purpose, the hammer 9 works vertically up and down and with a sort of rotary or oscillatory motion within its guide or bearing IIJ. All of this is known in the art, and should require no detailed explanation. It may here be stated, however, that the head of the machine carries a stationary depending lug or support I2, which will be referred to hereinafter as a means of supporting a movable electrical contact arm I3.

Beneath the head of the machine is located a work support or standard I4 having at its upper end a rotatable anvil or roller I5 over which the tape is fed as it is subjected to the hammer-4 25 ing and feeding operation of the elements 8 and l of the machine head. The character I6 indicates a pivot for the anvil or roller.

At the lower end of the standard, means are provided for directing a strip of adhesive tape I1 30 upwardly toward the anvilI said tape being preferably drawn from a remote source of tape supply. Said means may be in the form of a rotatable anged roller I 8. The standard has a hollow interior housing the various elements to be hereinafter described, and its forward portion may be closed by means of a cover lISI that may be held in position frictionally or otherwise, as may be desired. By preference, the cover is held in place by means of suitable latches,` which are o not necessarily shown or described herein.

As should readily be evident, the standard I4 comprises a pair of opposed side plates, one of which, is indicated by the character 20, and said plates may be held in spaced parallelism by means of suitable spacers which may be in the form of blocks 2l and 22. The forward faces' 23 and 24 of said blocks may provide guides or runners for the tape strip and for the tape advance element of Fig. 3, which is a reciprocating part. The tape advance element may consist of a spring steel strip 25 arcuately curved and having at its free upper end one or more sharpened prongs 26 to grip the tape and advance 1t upon each upward movement of the tape advance element. 5K

The -base of the curved strip 25 may be iixed to a pair of spaced parallel rigid bars 21, each notched as at 28 or otherwise formed to engage the forward extension 29 of an actuator 30. The actuator may be in the form of a block mounted in fixed relationship to a plunger 3|, and located for limited reciprocation within the space between the spacers 2| and 22. From the foregoing, it should readily be understood that reciprocation of the plunger 3| will move the tape advance element 25-21 vertically, with the prongs 26 in contact with the adhesive tape strip, so that each upward movement of the tape advance element progressively feeds .the tape strip toward the anvil l5. Where the prongs operate to engage the tape, the tape is supported within the groove 32 of the combination tape guide and shear member 33, which is clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The tape lguide and shear member 33 preferably is grooved as at 34 to accommodate the curvature of the wheel or anvil I5, and at the lower end thereof is provided means in the form of a pin or the like 35 for pivoting the combination tape guide and shear member relative to the sides of the housing I4. The member 33, therefore, furnishes always a backing for the tape to move upon under the action of thetape advance element of Fig. 3.

Referring now to Fig. 2, attention is directed to the cut-oil knife element 36 (shown in detail in Fig. 5), this element comprising an upper transverse strut or head 31 which is provided with a forward at and smooth face 28 having a sharpened knife edge 39. 'I he cut-off knife element is,reciprocable vertically relative to the standard I4, and during reciprocation thereofv the flat face 38 bears against the vertical flat face 40 of the combination tape guide and shear element33. As will be understood, the adhesive tape strip while resting in the groove 32'passes under the knife edge 39, and is normally fed to the anvil and the hammer while the knife edge is elevated suiiiciently to permit such feeding of the tape; however, a short downward movement of the cut-off element 36 causes the knife edge to shear oif or sever the tape at the shear face 40, as will be understood by reference to Figs. 4 and 5.

The combination tape guide and shear member 33 is yieldingly pressed against the flat face '38 and the adjacent fiat areas 4| of the cut-off element 36, by means of a spring steel extension 42 which may be riveted or otherwise secured to the cover I9, at the location 43. The upper free end of the spring steel member 42 preferably bears upon the element 33 at a point near the knife or head 31 of the cut-off element, without interference with the movement of adhesive tape within the groove 32.

It is now in order to describe the means for advancement and severance of the adhesive tape occurring at a proper instant during feeding of the work to the hammer and anvil elements of ing lever y41, which, intermediate its end pivots 46 and 48, is pivoted to a stationary bracket 49 located preferably beneath the machine. By means of a link 50, the lever is connected to the movable core or armature 5| of a solenoid coil 52. The arrangement is such that electrical en ergization of the coil results in attraction of the iron core or armature 5|, for rocking the lever 41 so as to quickly lower the block 30 and the plunger 3| attached thereto. The descending movement of the block 30 lowers the tape advance element 25-21, and when said element is near the bottom of its stroke, the lower end 53 of plunger 3| strikes the lower cross bar 54 of the cut-off knife element 36 to lower the knife portion 31 for cutting off the tape at the shear face 40 of the combined tape guide and shear member 33. It will be noted that the reciprocating movement of the cut-off knife element is very limited 'in comparison with the movement of the tape advance element and its pronged end 26.

In the bore 55, which constitutes a bearing for the plunger 3|, there is provided a transverse milled slot accommodating the lower end of the cut-oil? knife element and its cross bar 54. A spring 51 is furnished within the bore to con stantly urge the knife element toward its upper limit as determined by the milled slot 56. The spring may be backed in any suitable manner, such as by means of a plate 58 secured to the lower face of block 22.

The energization of the solenoid coil as just explained, is afforded through the medium of a pair of electric contacts 59 and 60 located near the cut-off knife, which is just ahead of the ham-y mer and anvil elements. The contacts normally are held separated by reason of the fact that work fed over the top of the cut-off knife to the hammer and anvil elements, is required to pass over the stationary contact 59 and beneath the movable contact 60. As will be evident, the work fed will keep the electric contacts separated until the trailing edge of the work passes over the region of the contacts as the work advances,

electrical circuit for energizing the solenoid coil thereby operating the cut-off knife element and the tape advance means 25-21. The electrical circuit is broken when the operator elevates the presser foot 8 to permit feeding a successive work piece to the tape applier. Elevation 'of the presser foot causes it to strike a screw or other abutment 6| carried by the lever i3, so that the and the contacts will thereupon complete an 40 lever will be rotated about its stationary pivot 50 62 in opposition to the force of a spring 63. When the electrical circuit to the solenoid is thuslybroken, the block 30 together with the plunger 3|, the knife element, and the tape advance element, are elevated to the normal position of Fig. 2. During the upward movement of the tape advance element, the strip of tape is advanced by the action of the prongs 26 of the spring steel part 25 of the tape advance element. The elevating movement of parts as explained above may result from gravitation of the solenoid armature 5|v to the lower limit of its movement, or if desired, said movement may be assisted and its force and speed augmented, by use of a spring which may tend always to rotate the lever 41 clockwise about its pivotal mounting 49. Such a spring is not shown for the reason that it would ordinarily not be required due to the fact that the solenoid armature is quite heavy. It should be noted that movements of the cut-off knife element are delayed with respect to movements of the tape aclvance element 2521, so that there may be no interference with normal tape movement in the region of the cut-off knife.

In the preferred form of the invention.-

arrangements are made to effect energlzation of the solenoid through a low voltage control circuit, so that the operator may not come in contact with dangerous voltages at the contacts 59 and 60. This may be accomplished by feeding line voltage from the main leads 64 and 65 in series relationship through the solenoid coil to a stationary relay contact 66 and to a. normally open armature switch 61 of the relay. A low voltage current supply may be produced in any suitable manner, such as by providing an intermediate tap 68 on the solenoid coil, connected by means of a conductor 10 leading to the coil 1| of relay 12, placing it in series connection with the line wire 65 by means of a conductor or jumper 13. Thus, closing the contacts 59 and 60 results in completing a low voltage electrical circuit through the relay coil, so that the core of said coil will attract the armature switch element 61 and close the high voltage circuit through the solenoid coil. At the instant the solenoid coil is energized, the cut-off knife element is operated to sever the tape while at the same time the tape advance .element is carried to a lower position in readiness to advance the tape to the anvil as soon as the solenoid coil is de-energized by elevation of the presser foot, or by insertion of a succeeding work piece between the cont-acts 59 and 60.

As indicated in Fig. 1, suitable cords or cables 14 and 15 may be provided to furnish pedal controls for starting and stopping the machine, and for elevating and lowering the presser foot thereof. The tape advance and cut-off operations, however, are completely automatic and are determined solely by the passage of the work between the contacts 59 and 50.

As will readily be understood, the cut-off knife lelement should operate in vertical guides or ways,

which are conventionally indicated at 16. The stationary contact 59 may be supported upon any suitable type of bracket 11 fixed relative to the standard I4 of the machine. By placing the contacts 59 and 60 a proper distance from the cut-01T knife element, the tape will be severed at a proper point for concluding the tape applying operation at the anvil.

We claim:

1. A tape applier which comprises in combination, an anvil and a tape presser, means guiding and feeding a tape to the anvil and presser, a tape cut-off mounted adjacent to the anvil and movable to a position for severing the tape, a pair of electrical contacts separable for reception of a work piece therebetween, said contacts being located adjacent to the cut-off to initiate severance of the tape upon. movement of the work piece from the space between the electrical contacts, and electrical circuit means includingv the contacts and the electromagnetic means, to actuate the tape cutoff as stated.

2. A tape applier which comprises in combination, an anvil and a tape presser, means guiding and feeding a tape to the anvil and presser, a`

tape cut-off mounted adjacent to the anvil and movable to a position for severing the tape, a pair of electrical contacts separable for reception of a work piece therebetween, said contacts being located adjacent to the cut-off to initiate severance of the tape upon movement of the work piece from the space between the electrical contacts, and electrical circuit means including the contacts and the electromagnetic means, to actuate the tape cut-off as stated, and means operating subsequently to the cut-olf operation, for

advancing the tape supply past the cut-off and toward the anvil.

3. A tape applier which comprises in combination, an anvil and a tape presser, means guiding and feeding a tape to the anvil yand presser, a tape cut-off mounted adjacent to the anvil and movable to a position for severing the tape, a pair of electrical contacts separable for reception of a work piece therebetween, said contacts being located adjacent to the cut-off to initiate severance of the tape upon movement of the work piece from the space between the electrical contacts, and electrical circuit means including the contacts and the electromagnetic means, to actuate the tape cut-off as stated, and means mounting one of the electrical contacts for movement with the presser as the presser is retracted from the anvil to receive a work piece, for widely separating the contacts to readily receive the work piece therebetween.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a standard, a reciprocable knife cutoff element arranged for sliding movement relative to the standard, said element including a hat shear face and a knife edge in the plane of said face, a tape guide including a shear face complementary to the shear face of the cut-ofi element, means pivotally mounting the tape guide upon the standard with the complementary shear faces in substantial flatwise abutment, and means yieldingly pressing the shear faces together.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a standard, a reciprocable knife cutolf element arranged for sliding movement relative to the standard, -said element including a flat shear face and a knife edge in-the plane of said face, a tape guide including a shear face complementary to the shear face of the cut-off element, means pivotally mounting the tape guide upon the standard with the complementary shear faces in substantial fiatwise abutment, means yieldingly pressing the shear faces together, and electromagnetic means for moving the cut-off element to tape cutting position and subsequently advancing the supply of tape past the shear faces aforesaid.

6. The combination with a tape applying presser element, of a hollow standard including a side cover and an anvil, means associated with the standard for directing a strip of adhesive tape upwardly along the cover toward the anvil, a tape guide pivoted upon the standard and having a free end directed toward the anvilsaid free end having a shear face thereon disposed substantially vertically, a reciprocable cut-off element guided for movement vertically along the standard, said cut-off element including an upper shear face and a sharpened edge located for contacting the shear face of the tape guide, a tape advancer yieldingly supported upon the standard for pressing against the tape guide and the tape therein supported, means on the standard for reciprocating the tape advancer and the cut-off element, and a spring metal strap on the cover for pressing the shear face of the tape guide against the shear face of the cut-oil' element.

'7. The combination with a tape applying presser element, of a hollow standard including a side cover and an anvil, means associated with the standard for directing a strip of adhesive tape upwardly along the cover toward the anvil, a

tape guide pivoted upon the standard and having element, means including an electrical switch for `controlling said reciprocating means, said switch in turn being controlled by the Work fed to the anvil, and a spring metal strap on the cover for pressing the shear face of the tape guide against 5 the shear face of the cut-o element.

- CLES SWEYER. EDWARD H. GROH. 

